Kelly Street and Castlehaven Road

As this initiative promises, cyclists requirements have been taken into account as follows:

By the provision of a cycle gap linking Kelly Street to Castlehaven Road. Cyclists using this gap will be protected by a widened footway in Castlehaven Road on both sides of the gap. In addition, a new speed table will be sited in Castlehaven Road to the south of the gap.

Six new cycle stands will be placed outside the entrance to the University of North London

Also of interest is the location of two City Car Club parking bays in Kelly Street. That is, if you want a car at all, having access to a car club in the area seems an alternative sustainable alternative to owning a car.

CCC’s response

Camden Cycling Campaign (CCC) is pleased to see this new extension of the “Streets for People” initiative and, as this initiative promises, that cyclists requirements have been taken into account.

In particular, CCC welcomes the new cycle gap at the closed section in Kelly Street to link it to Castlehaven Road, which we requested in our response to the Castlehaven Road Traffic Calming consultation in Spring 2003. It is one of the few closures left in the borough which the council’s 2002 road closure/cycle gap audit reported as having no gaps for cycles. This gap will be really useful for cyclists, as Kelly Street is part of an advisory cycle route linking Prince of Wales Road and Bartholomew Road.

We cannot tell from the plan whether the cycle gap is at pavement level or at a lower level. CCC recommends that in order to minimise the impact on pedestrians, the gap should be at pavement level, with a short ramp up to it on either side.

Concerning the safety of cyclists at the proposed gap, CCC welcomes the widening of the adjacent footway in Castlehaven Road and the expected reduction of traffic speeds due to the the nearby speed table.

The six new cycle stands and the new trees outside the entrance to the University of North London are also welcome.

Although we are responding on behalf of CCC, a cyclists organisation, we believe having access to a car club in the area is a sustainable alternative to owning a car. Therefore we support the location of the two City Car Club parking bays in Kelly Street. We made this point to our members on the CCC mailing list and nobody has objected to it.